steve on Nostr: “Rethinking the World: Great Power Strategies and International Order” by Jeffrey ...
“Rethinking the World: Great Power Strategies and International Order” by Jeffrey W. Legro
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Legro, a political scientist at the University of Virginia, wrote this book in 2007 to explain how collective ideas shape international relations. His argument is a particularly constructivist one that posits that periods of “old thinking” are tested by external shocks which result in two possible ways: (1) continuation of the “old thinking” or (2) collapse of the old ways and consolidation of “new thinking”. This framework neatly explains why states hold on to ideas that work for them (and abandon ones that don’t). Most importantly, Legro shows that it’s not unseen natural forces which propel ideas, but rather the ideas themselves which propel human societies to change. This constructivist perspective challenged my otherwise rational way of viewing the world and emphasized the importance of ideas in international politics. In the end, politics are a human endeavor so we can’t drift too far from the nuances of psychology and social science. 👫🏻💡
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Legro, a political scientist at the University of Virginia, wrote this book in 2007 to explain how collective ideas shape international relations. His argument is a particularly constructivist one that posits that periods of “old thinking” are tested by external shocks which result in two possible ways: (1) continuation of the “old thinking” or (2) collapse of the old ways and consolidation of “new thinking”. This framework neatly explains why states hold on to ideas that work for them (and abandon ones that don’t). Most importantly, Legro shows that it’s not unseen natural forces which propel ideas, but rather the ideas themselves which propel human societies to change. This constructivist perspective challenged my otherwise rational way of viewing the world and emphasized the importance of ideas in international politics. In the end, politics are a human endeavor so we can’t drift too far from the nuances of psychology and social science. 👫🏻💡